Entering arrangement for fabric tentering machines



Dec. 9, 1969 G. MHRING ET AL 3,482,750

ENTERING ARRANGEMENT FOR FABRIC TENTERING MACHINES @www Dec. 9, 1969 G.MHRING ET AL 3,482,750

ENTERING ARRANGEMENT FOR FABRIC TENTERING MACHINES Y Filed May l2, 19674 Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec. 9, 1969 G. MHRING ETAL 3,482,750y

ENTERING ARRANGEMENT FOR FABRIC TENTERING MACHINES Filed May 12, 1967 4Sheets-Sheet 3 Dec. 9, 1969 G. MHRING ETAL 3,482,750

ENTERING ARRANGEMENT FOR FABRIC TENTERING MACHINES Filed May l2, 1967 4Sheets-Sheet 4 6 $5 5w Af. 5@ Cam y# mMWWd V r G w /Nmwnfm j? www UnitedStates Patent O M 3,482,750 ENTERING ARRANGEMENT FOR FABRIC TENTERINGMACHINES Gustav Mhring, Stuttgart, Amo Weber, Kornwestheim,

Wurttemburg, Eugen G. Glasz, Bissingen, and Gerhard Hgele, Laupheim,Germany, assignors to Famatex GmbH, Fabrik furTextilausrustungsmaschinen, Stuttgart. Germany, a firm Filed May 12,1967, Ser. No. 638,021 Claims priority, application Germany, May 18,1966, F 49,236 Int. Cl. B65h 25/26 U.S. Cl. 226-19 13 Claims ABSTRACT OFTHE DISCLOSURE This invention provides an apparatus for feeding a fabricweb onto a tentering frame of a tentering machine. The apparatusincludes a means connecting an electrical control circuit to at leastone oil engine means for adjusting the speed and direction of movementof the feed bars on a tentering frame. A feeler lever having a fabricedge tracing portion and a control circuit activating portion ispivotally mounted to activate a switch mechanism within said controlcircuit. The electrical control circuit includes means to control thecurrent intensity provided by the said control circuit to a moving coilregulator. The moving coil regulator is connected to an oil engine forregulating the amount of oil to adjust the feed bars at a speedproportional to the amount of forward movement of the fabric web edge.The control circuit activating portion of the feeler lever is movable tovarious positions within the control circuit. The current intensitycontrol means operates directionally with respect to the movement of thefeeler lever activating portion within the said control circuit inresponse to the movement of said fabric edge tracing portion which is incontact with the fabric web edge moving into the tentering machine,

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to enteringarrangements for fabric tentering machines, and more specifically to anequipment in which feed bars of a tentering frame are controllable bymeans of a feeler switch in dependence on the course of the edge of aweb of fabric to be introduced.

From German Patent No. 683,413 an entering arrangement of this type hasalready become known in which rapid forward movement of the edges of thefabric is effected with a high adjusting speed and slow forward movementwith a correspondingly low adjusting speed.

In this known arrangement an adjusting motor was controlled by means ofa pivotable feeler switch infiuencing the intensity and direction ofcurrent in an electric control circuit in dependence on its position, insuch a manner that it caused adjustment of the feed bars of thetentering frame in a direction corresponding to the course of the edgeof the web of fabric to be introduced and at a speed proportional to theamount of forward movement.

Hitherto as adjusting motors electric motors have been used, thereaction Velocity of which did not meet the requirements without furtherfrequently very expensive expedients requiring additional attendance.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides an enteringarrangement for fabric tentering machines which comprises a pivotablefeeler switch, an electric control circuit, said feeler 3,482,750Patented Dec. 9, 1969 ICC switch influencing the current intensity insaid electric control circuit in dependence on its position, anadjusting motor controllable by means of said feeler switch in such amanner that it causes adjustment of feed bars on the tentering frame ofthe fabric tentering machine in a direction corresponding to the courseof the edge of a web of fabric and at a speed proportional to the amountof forward movement of the edge of said web, a movingcoil regulatorhaving its coil arranged in said control circuit influenced by saidfeeler switch, and at least one oil engine serving as adjusting motor,said moving-coil regulator being arranged to regulate the amount of oilof said oil engine.

This construction has the advantage that nearly inertialess controlmembers co-operate with low-inertia servomotors, whereby an extremelyrapid adaptation of the position of the feed bars to the course of theedge of the web of fabric is achieved even in the event of a rapidchange of the course.

In this arrangement the feeler switch includes a feeler which isconstructed in a known manner as a two-armed lever and which mayconstitute with one of its arms a movable core of a set of inductioncoils or may be connected with a displaceable core of a differentialtransformer, the output voltage of which set of induction coils ordifferential transformer is preferably transmitted via an amplifier tothe control circuit containing the movingcoil regulator.

However, the feeler switch may also connect as a multiple-contact switchvia appropriate resistors control circuits of different voltagesdirectly to the moving-coil regulator without an amplifier. In thisconstruction, if desired, an adjustment of the sensitivity of responseof the entering arrangement may be effected in a simple manner.

As a device acting directly on the feed bar of the tentering frame, useis preferably made of a member which is connected to the feed bar andwhich may be, for example, in the form of an adjusting nut screwed on aspindle driven by the adjusting motor or in the form of a lug orprojection movable by a band which may be endless if desired, a chain orthe like driven by the adjusting motor or in the form of a similardevice.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS Several embodiments of the invention willnow be described by way of example and with reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. l is a schematic side elevational view of an entering arrangementaccording to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of an entering arrangement Withspindle adjustment;

FIG. 3 is a similar View of an entering arrangement with bandadjustment;

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the feeler switch with a set of inductioncoils;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the feeler switch with a differentialtransformer;

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the feeler switch constructed as amultiple-contact switch, and

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the feeler switch constructed as amultiple-contact switch and having an adjustable strip carrying thecontacts.

DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS With reference now to the drawingsand particularly to FIGS. l to 3, a web of fabric B is arranged to befed into an entering arrangement as proposed by the invention by meansof a guide roller 1 mounted in a feed frame 2 and is to be fixed withpins on each side to a feed chain 3 adapted to run in a rail which isfixed to a feed bar 4 ahead of a first drying chamber 5,

Mounted on the feed bar 4 is a feeler switch F which by means of an arm6 of a feeler constructed as a twoarmed lever serves to trace the edgeof the fabric prior to its entering the region of the rail in which thefeed chain 3 is guided.

This feeler switch F may be constructed so that the feeler, e.g. in theembodiment shown in FIG. 4, is arranged to co-operate with a pair ofinduction coils 8 in that an arm 7 of the feeler in the form of ametallic lug is swung more or less into the coil system in accordancewith the deflection of the tracing arm 6 and varies the self-inductionaccordingly. In the embodiment shown in FIG. the feeler is arranged toco-operate with a differential transformer 9 in that the arm 7 of thefeeler shifts 'a steel pin in the windings of the transformer.

The different output voltages occurring in both embodiments are suppliedvia an amplifier V to a control circuit 10 in which the coil of amoving-coil regulator T is arranged. This regulator consists in a knownmanner of an axially movable coil which is excited by the controlcircuit and carries along during its movements a control v-alve servingto control the amount of oil fed from a pump P to an oil engine M.

The oil engine in this case serves as an adjusting motor and drives anadjusting member VG arranged directly to adjust the feed bar.

This adjusting member may consist, for example, of a driven spindle 11on which a nut 12 fixed to the feed bar 4 is screwed, as shown in FIG.2, or of a driven endless band, chain or the like 13 which is arrangedto take along a lug or similar projection 14 secured to the feed bar(see FIG. 3), or of a similar device.

FIG. 6 shows an embodiment wherein the feeler of the feeler switch F isarranged with its arm 7 in the control circuit and at contacts 15connects control circuits 10 with two different voltages via appropriateresistors not shown to the moving-coil regulator T, in this case theinner cont-acts supplying a voltage for a lower adjusting speed and theouter contacts a Voltage for a higher adjusting speed in bothdirections. In all other respects the equipment corresponds to thatshown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

FIG. 7 shows a feeler switch F with contacts for three velocity stages,wherein three contacts are provided for each of the two directions ofrotation of the engine M in the form of elongated small metal plates 15lying side by side at short distances apart and directed toward thepivot of the feeler formed of the arms 6 and 7.

These small contact plates are positioned on both sides of a smalltrapezoidal no-load plate 16 of the same thickness which corresponds tothe central switch-off position of the feeler. All seven small platesare arranged on a strip 17 which is adjustable to a certain extent alonga guide 18 in the longitudinal direction of the feeler situated in itscentral position. The adjustment can be effected through an accentric 20and a pull rod 21 by operating a turning knob 19. As can be seen fromFIG. 7, by shifting the strip 17 carrying the contacts from the upperposition shown in full lines in the direction toward the lower positionshown in dot-and-dash lines, the path of movement of a contact 22 of thefeeler from its central position to the left-hand or right-handinnermost contact is extended and thus the sensitivity of response ofthe switch reduced and vice versa.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departingfrom the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The presentembodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects asillustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention beingindicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoingdescription and all changes which come within the meaning and range ofequivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.For example, still other forms of construction of the feeler switch areimaginable. In-

stead'of a unilaterally driven endless band or chain for adjusting thefeed bar a plain band or the like driven alternately at its two ends maybe provided.

We claim:

1. An apparatus for feeding a fabric web onto a tentering frame of atentering machine, comprising in combination,

(a) means connecting an electrical control circuit to at least one oilengine means for adjusting the speed and direction of movement of feedbars mounted on the tentering frame,

(b) means pivotally mounting a feeler lever having a fabric edge tracingportion and a control circuit activating portion within a switchmechanism,

(c) said electrical control circuit includes means to control thecurrent intensity provided by said control circuit to a moving coilregulator, and

(d) means connecting said moving coil regulator to said oil engine meansto regulate the amount of oil in said engine for adjusting the feed barsat a speed proportional to the amount of forward movement of the fabricweb edge,

(e) said control circuit activating portion being movable to variouspositions in said control circuit switch mechanism to cause the currentintensity control means to operate directionally with respect to saidvarious positions in response to the movement of said fabric web edgetracing portion along said fabric web edge.

2. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said current intensitycontrol -means includes a set of induction coils and said controlcircuit activating portion includes the coil of said set of inductioncoils.

3. An apparatus as defined in claim 2 wherein said control circuitincludes an amplifier means to transmit output voltages of said set ofinduction coils to said moving coil regulator.

4. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said current intensitycontrol means includes a differential transformer and said controlcircuit activating portion includes a displaceable core for saiddifferential transformer.

5. An apparatus as defined in claim 4 wherein said control circuitincludes an amplifier means to transmit output voltages of saiddifferential transformer to said moving coil regulator.

6. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said control circuitincludes a switch means having a plurality of contacts and resistormeans connecting each contact to said moving coil regulator, and

said control circuit activating portion of said feeler lever pivotallytouches said contacts in response to movement of the fabric edge tracingportion of said feeler lever.

7. An apparatus as defined in claim 6 wherein said contacts areelongated small metal plates directed toward the pivot of the feeler atshort distances apart on both sides of a small no-load plate whichincreases in width in the form of a trapezoid in a direction away fromthe pivot of the feeler, and

said switch means include means mounting said plates onto an adjustablestrip and means for guiding said adjustable strip in the longitudinaldirection of the feeler lever when said lever is in a central position.

8. An apparatus as defined in claim 6 wherein said switch means includea guiding means having means operably connecting a knob and an eccentricto said strip to adjust the location of said contacts.

9. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said feed bar adjustingmeans includes a spindle having a nut screwed thereon and furtherincluding a means for directly driving said spindle by said oil engine.

10. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said feed bar adjustingmeans includes a means for directly driving an endless band by said oilengine.

11. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said feed bar adjustingmeans includes a means for directly driving an endless chain by said oilengine.

12. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said feed bar adjustingmeans includes two oil engines which are each operable in its owndirection of rotation and a means for alternately driving an endlessband by each of said two oil engines.

13. An apparatus as dened in claim 1 wherein said feed bar adjustingmeans includes two oil engines which are each operable in its owndirection of rotation and a means for alternately driving an endlesschain alternately by said oil engines.

References Cited UNITED 0 M. HENSON WOOD,

RICHARD A. SCHACHER, Assistant Examiner STATES PATENTS Schwartz 226-19 XCluett 2657 Picking 26-57 McCreary 226-19 X Leimer 226--19 X JR.,Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R.

